North Vancouver's Presentation House Theater will be looking for a new artistic director when Brenda Leadlay leaves this summer to take on the role of artistic director for the prestigious Magnetic North Theatre Festival.

Leadlay has been in charge of developing programming at Presentation House for the past seven and half years, and has been a driving force in bringing professional theatre to the North Shore.

"She has been an integral member of the Presentation House," said Ian Forsyth, the Director of the Arts Office in North Vancouver. "Under her tutelage the last few years, she has turned Presentation House into a producing theatre company that has become very highly regarded and respected at other levels than just our local level."

Leadlay believes her time at Presentation House has provided the theatre with enough stability to remain a fixture in the North Shore's arts community.

"Having spent the last seven and half years building the program at Presentation House, I'm confident that the theatre is now in a strong position," she said in a phone interview June 14. "I think that the theatre will be successful, and will continue to be successful. The foundation is in place."

Leadlay joined Presentation House in 2003 with a mandate to develop the programming at the theatre. In 2005, she launched the Third Street Theatre season, which brought professional theatre to North Vancouver.

That year, Leadlay ran a three-play season that saw plays produced with a mix of both professional and amateur actors.

In 2008-09, through Leadlay's initiative, Presentation House launched its first professional theatre season, the only one of its kind on the North Shore.

Under Leadlay's guidance the theatre has produced original Canadian plays, some of which have had their world premiers at Presentation House, allowed well-known actors like Jay Brazeau to appear in their own community and given professional actors like Nicola Cavendish an opportunity to direct.

Though Leadlay has rapidly developed the theatre's programming, her time there has not been without challenges. In 2009, B.C. arts groups lost funding from B.C. gaming revenue. This equated to an annual loss of $38,000 for Presentation House Theatre and required the organization to request emergency funding from City of North Vancouver council.

"That was a big hit," said Leadlay. "That was the reason we requested emergency funding, it was too hard of a hit for us."

The city provided the theatre a one-time emergency grant of $25,000. Without the B.C. gaming grant, Leadlay and the theatre have had to actively pursue funding from both the public and private sectors.

"When I took over [in 2003] the only funding came from the municipalities and the B.C. gaming grant," she said. "Now the board of directors is much stronger than it used to be, and they are doing a lot more to assist with fundraising in the private sector, which is what needs to happen with Presentation House."

Another continuous problem Leadlay has faced is a lack of exposure.

"There are many people in the community that don't know that Presentation House has transformed itself into a professional theatre company," she said. "I don't think people realize the quality of work being done (here). The word is spreading, but slowly."

Leadlay feels that although Presentation House has faced its share of trials, it will continue to grow and be successful on the North Shore. Through recent funding from the B.C. Arts Council, the theatre has been able to hire additional staff, including a much-needed marketing director. In Leadlay's opinion, it will be paramount to the future of the theatre for it to reach out and connect with the community.

"We need to make sure we are no longer the best kept secret on the North Shore."

Presentation House Theatre will be holding its annual fundraiser on Thursday, June 23. The North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Governors' Gala will be held at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier. For more information go to www.phtheatre.org.